Just a Dream
by artychick7
Summary: Leo is trapped in a place where his worst fears have all come true. Wrought with despair and on the verge of suicide, the only person that can save him is the person he hurt in a way that he deems unforgivable.
1. Prologue

**A/N: I am going to try a lot harder with this fic, so please be patient with me. Thanks to ****AAnnR**** for encouraging me to keep writing when I was gonna stop. Hope you like it. Please review!**

_White._

_Blank, lifeless, empty._

That was the only thing he could see. He couldn't see the bodies around him, or smell the tang of the blood pooling at his feet. His arms fell to his sides, the grips of his hands loosening, causing his two katana to fall to the concrete with a pang. He felt an invisible weight crushing him from every side, like one of his brother's had wrapped shrink wrap around him while he was sleeping. He found it hard to breath, taking in shallow gasps as best he could.

Three seconds. That's all that had passed.

The crushing feeling was slowly replaced with a burning knot in his stomach. He snatched up his weapons with a snarl. Though his limbs felt heavy, they tore through the air and surrounding flesh with greater speed than he thought possible at the moment. The acidic anger laced his limbs as he ripped apart black clad body after body. He had to get to him.

Five seconds.

The remaining ninja sensed his wrath, and, after seeing their comrades torn apart, many fled, leaving only the four red caped figures between him and his target. He stopped for a moment; the red caped ninja did nothing. He snarled again, twisted his hands tighter around his weapons, and white mist clouded his vision. As soon as it cleared, he rushed to his father's side; the Elite had fled, their job complete. He was alone now.

Upon reaching his father, he threw his swords to the side and gently picked up the limp form. His father's body was still warm, but there was not heartbeat. He pressed his fingers into Splinter's furry throat, trying to find a pulse. Forever passed, realization came. He clung to his father's body like a lifeline, because that's what it was, and he howled.

His master, his guardian, his father, was gone.


	2. Chapter 1

**I do not own TMNT**

"Leo. Come on dude ya gotta get up." Raph's gruff voice echoed through Leo's semiconscious mind.

"Mmmm," Leo mumbled as he rolled over.

"Come on. You've been in here for one hour too long dis time. Mikey and Donny need you." A rough calloused hand gripped Leo's arm, tugging him towards the door.

"I'm comin' Raph. Give me a minute." Leo pushed to his knees, his head resting on the cement floor.

"Alright, we in da kitchen." Raph said as he stepped back.

"M'kay." Leo whispered to the closing door. He sighed and let the cold ground absorb his heat, soaking in the chill. Until lately, Leo had never enjoyed feeling cold, but now it was a sign to him; it meant he could still feel something, at least on the outside. The past 36 hours he had felt nothing on the inside. Nothing but the life slowly seep out of him. But he had to stay strong, hide his weakening if he must, for his brothers. They were still grieving the loss of their father. Leo could grieve later. Now he needed to fully take over the patriarchal role of the family, and to do that he had to be strong when his brothers were not.

He sighed again and pushed him self to a kneeling position. His muscles ached and groaned, but he hadn't done anything more tedious than walk since that night that seemed like eternity ago. After he had screamed his throat dry, he had slowly made his way back to the lair, his father's corpse cradled in his arms. At first, his brother's had thought it was a joke, but they soon found otherwise. Raph had reacted most violently. After snatching the rat from Leo's arms and begging his father to wake up, he delicately placed the body back into Leo's arms and ran to the dojo. Leo thought about going after Raph, but he decided not to and laid Splinter's body on the couch. Mikey cradled the head in his lap and Donny knelt next to them. Mikey immediately began crying and stroking the soft fur between the rat's ears while Donny just stared, a small grey wrist clamped between his fingers. Leo slowly made his way to his room, his body moving without any conscious thought. He fell to the floor, and didn't move until Raph had just woken him.

He hadn't been sleeping. He had been lying on his side, facing a cracked brick wall, and just staring. Leo hadn't felt anything but a dull gut-wrenching feeling, but he had focused his thoughts on the wall. He couldn't think about anything else without the risk of his control shattering and completely loosing his sanity.

Leo could tell his face was pale, his eyes droopy, and his back hunched over, but he couldn't find the strength to appear perfect. His brothers, especially Raph, would worry that he either was bottling up all of his pain or didn't care. Leo cared. God knew he cared. He had to show something, if only a tiny sliver of the agony he felt deep down.

He soon made it to the kitchen. He hadn't bothered to take off his gear or mask in almost three days. He probably looked like hell. It didn't matter; he had been there and back. Mikey, Don, and Raph were all sitting at the table. Tear streaks were visible on each of their dirty faces.

Silence ensued several minutes after Leo scraped back a chair and fell into it. Mikey stared at him, his baby blue eyes begging him for anything. Don was sadly studying some spot on the table, and Raph's eyes took turns watching each of his brothers.

Mikey sneezed and they all jumped.

"Bless you." Don mumbled.

"Thanks." Mikey croaked.

"You okay Mike?" Leo said, his voice rough and gravelly.

"Guess so." He whimpered.

Silence continued for a few more minutes until Raph spoke up. "How'd it happen, Leo?"

"It was my fault. I couldn't get to him in time."

"Leo, I don't give a damn whose fault it was cuz I sure as shell know it wasn' yours. So you better not pull the 'it's all my fault I need to die' card on me. Cuz you wont get away wit it." Raph growled. Leo hadn't expected such a harsh reaction from his brother, but he only stared blankly at the hothead. Leo looked at his huffing brother, and noticed how his eyes were shiny and his mask was getting darker around his eyes.

"Raph, I'm not trying to make you angry. I'll try not to be hard on myself, okay?" Raph continued to glare at him, but he finally nodded and Leo continued. "We were on our way home, the Elite showed up and we got separated. Next thing I knew, he was gone." Leo wiped at the stinging in his eyes and felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw Mikey staring at him again.

"It's not your fault Leo. Please, don't kill yourself over it. If we know you, you did everything you could to help Splinter." A voice in Leo's head was screaming at him that everything they were saying was wrong and it was his fault Master Splinter was killed, but he pushed it aside, knowing that he had to acknowledge that voice when he wasn't surrounded by his brothers.

"What're we gonna do with the body?" Don breathed, his voice cracking with misuse. "He would have wanted a burial, but where?"

"The only place even safe enough is Casey's farm." Raph said.

"Is the body taken care of?" Leo whispered, pain lacing his words without control.

"Yeah, it'll be fine for a week or two." Donny barely made out.

Leo looked at Raph. "I'll talk to Case." He said softly as he stood up and grabbed the set of keys off the wall. A shadow of a smile passed Leo's face in gratitude. Mikey sniffled after Raph was gone.

"I'll leave you two to talk." Donny whispered as he stood up and headed to his lab.

"Mike, look at me." Leo pleaded. His brother's gaze was glued to the table. "Michelangelo." The blue eyes slowly found him, and Leo winced at the pain he saw in them.

"It'll be okay Mike." Leo whispered, only half believing it.

"You promise?" The blue eyes bagged him to say yes.

"I promise." He inwardly flinched at the lie.

A faint smile appeared on Mikey's face. He stood up and tugged Leo into a hug. Leo was shocked at first, but he soon returned the hug, a single tear slipped down his face.

"I'm gonna go keep Donny company." Mikey said softly.

Leo watched sadly as his brother walked off, and he fell back into the chair. Even those ten minutes had drained all of his energy. He felt ready to go back to his room or throwing up. He settled for slowly making tea; perhaps it would calm his anxious spirit. No noise came from Donnie's lab, which meant they must just be sitting in silence, being grateful to each other to just have company while grieving. Don hadn't said where the body was, but Leo guessed their old freezer was a lot fuller than it had been a week ago. Leo felt the hot rush of bile coming up his throat at the thought and forced it out of his mind. He timidly glanced at the clock. Half an hour since Raph had left. He must be at Casey and April's by now. The city was beginning to settle down now; he should have called. As if to compliment his thoughts, the phone on the wall rang and Leo jumped at the sudden noise.

"Hello?" He said loudly, trying to shake out the tire in his voice.

"Leo? It's me," Raph sounded breathless and slightly angry.

"Raph, what's wrong?" Leo said quickly. Don and Mikey appeared at the doorway to the kitchen.

"You need to come up now." He said urgently, his voice cracking in fear.

"Raphael, what is wrong?" Leo repeated as Don and Mikey came closer. He pressed the speaker button and held the phone out between them.

"They're dead, Leo." Raph cried. "April and Casey are lying dead in their living room."


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I was scared no one would like it! But anyways, I'm gonna try to update every other day, but school is starting again soon and I'm transferring at work, so we'll see how that goes! Enjoy!**

**I do not own TMNT**

Leo dropped the phone and it smacked against the cement floor, but he didn't care. Mikey and Don were right behind him as he grabbed the keys and ran to the door to the garage. Within seconds they were grinding through the abandoned streets of New York City.

April's apartment and shop soon came into view, and Leo swerved into the lot behind the building. Mikey slammed open the door and hopped out.

"Mikey, wait!" Leo yelled, but Mikey was halfway up the fire escape by the time Leo got out of the driver's seat. Don jumped up after him as Leo looked around. All seemed to be normal and quiet, but that made Leo all the more wary. He quietly leapt up to the second floor and swept into the window just like his brother's had. A single light cast a yellow glow on half of the kitchen, the rest of the apartment cloaked in shadow.

"Raph?" Mikey whispered, his nunchucks tucked under his arms. Don had his bo staff out and Leo quickly drew his katana. The three went in separate directions. Don reached the light switch and turned it on.

With the added light, Leo could see a distinct trail of gleaming crimson beginning at the fridge lead into the living room. Mikey paled and Don gulped. Leo leaned against the wall and motioned to his brothers. He spun around the wall and turned on the light in the living room, his katana raised to defend. He sucked in a breath at the sight before him. His two closest human friends were lying face up on the floor in a pool of their combined blood. Mikey and Don came around the corner, but Don quickly went back into the kitchen and Leo heard him throwing up. Mikey paled and clamped both of his hands around his mouth. Leo took a step forward. His jaw clenched and his stomach flipped as he laid a hand on April. He jumped back. Her skin was ice cold. He knew Casey's would be the same. Mikey knelt behind the couch and just stared at the bodies while Leo double checked the room for intruders. Don came out of the kitchen and knelt next to Mike. Leo felt the unfamiliar surging heat of anger begin to boil his blood but abruptly stop when he noticed the trail of blood didn't lead to April and Casey.

"Raph." He whispered as he darted to the closed door the trail led to. Cold, intense fear gripped his stomach as he sheathed one katana, but held the other tightly. He shook the door handle open and rushed into the dark room. He quickly found the switch and flipped it up.

"Raph!" He yelled as he ran forward. His brother was laying face down on the bed. A large crimson stain covered the bed underneath his torso. Leo flipped him over and refrained from screaming. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and his trained mind took over, preventing the scared, helpless turtle from coming out. "Donnie! I need you NOW!" A large gash ran from Raph's left shoulder to his right thigh. A steady stream of blood was running down his leg. Leo stepped back as his purple masked brother rushed forward and began yelling instructions to his two brothers. His skilled hands worked fiercely as Mikey tore down the curtains and began helping Don tie them across Raph's body, but Leo barely noticed. He couldn't even move. All Leo saw was the faint grimace plastered to his red masked brother's face. A grimace meant he was only unconscious. Raph would look more peaceful if he was dead. Leo held onto that shred of hope as he shook off the threatening thoughts and helped lift his brother.

"We have to get him to the lair NOW!" Donnie shouted as Mikey and Leo carefully lifted him and headed to the staircase.

Agonizing minutes later, they were in the van. Mikey was driving as fast and delicately as possible, but Leo still felt that he needed to go faster. Donnie pulled out the emergency blood kit and Leo hurriedly tugged off his elbow pad. He didn't even notice the prick of the needle. He kept his eyes and thoughts on Raph as he watched the faint and unsteady rise and fall of his brother's chest.

_Please, Raph, please._

"Leo!" Donnie said loudly.

Leo snapped out of his trance and acknowledged the open door. They must be in the garage. Leo delicately lifted his dark brother and they slowly made their way to Don's lab. Don ran ahead and by the time the other three were there, Don had the cot and various other equipment Raph needed pulled out.

"He needs more blood. Mikey." Don said hurriedly as he began pulling out proper bandages and his stitching kit. Mike knew the drill and sat down, tugging his pads off.

"Leo can you do it?" Don said hurriedly.

Leo didn't say anything, but let his hands work as he carefully shoved the needle into his sea-green brother's arm. The crimson drops seemed to fall slower than usual to but he just gazed at the dripping blood, his other senses magnifying. He heard Mikey's fast breathing, felt the familiar chill of the sewer at night, Don's never ending mumbling of incoherent words. The vile was full and Don came and finished with Mikey. Leo stumbled back and fell to the floor. He suddenly felt the eerie presence of the spiritual plane tugging at his mind. He closed his eyes and easily shifted into it.

"_Raph?" He whispered._

"_Leo!" His brother's gruff voice was scared and tired._

"_Raph, come back! We need you! You can't go! Not now!" Leo's cries terrified even him. He needed his brother. Raph couldn't die, not now._

"_Leo, I can't see. I dunno what's going on! Leo!"_

_Leo growled in frustration, searching for his brother. "Raph! I need you! You're my best friend! I can't live without you!" Leo's sobs echoed through the silence. He looked up, and a faint silhouette of his brother appeared before him. Leo ran towards it._

"_Leo, I'm sorry. Tell Don he did his best. Tell Mikey dat I'll be waiting to get payback on all those pranks he played. And Leo,"_

_Leo ran harder as the silhouette gained faint color, but began to disintegrate, beginning at Raph's feet. The crimson mask stood out in the white background. "No, Raph. Please!" Leo screamed. Just a few feet…_

"_Leo, I…I love you." The last shreds of his brother faded, leaving behind his mask. Leo caught it in his hands before it fell to the ground. He fell to his knees, the tears pouring down his face, and he screamed._

The spiritual plane faded, and Leo shot up. He rushed to his brother's side. The dark emerald skin was cold to his touch, and the familiar grimace was gone. Raph's face held a look of peace.

"Leo," Donnie whispered. He was holding onto Mikey as he sobbed into his shoulder.

"He's gone." Leo finished, the tears falling freely down his face. Leo lost all of his energy and his knees buckled. Clung to his brother's arm as he buried his face in Raph's cold palm, and cried.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: I had a bad day at work today **** This makes everything better though, even though it's depressing too. This chapter was hard to write and I feel like I babbled a lot, but it's necessary before the next tragedy hits.**

**I do not own TMNT**

_Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out._

Even though those were the only words going through his head, the pain still gripped every inch of his body. He found it extremely hard to remain kneeling on the soft mat in the dojo, surrounded by soft candle light and chilly air. Recently he had found it hard to do anything but lay down on the floor and stare into nothing. After losing Raph, Leo's body had shut down. He no longer felt the motivation to do anything. He couldn't train, he couldn't smile; he barely found the energy to talk when it was necessary. The Fearless Leader had finally snapped. Leo hadn't eaten in nearly a week. He'd slept a grand total of thee hours in the six days since Splinter's death, and only because he had been in the living room with his brothers and they had been watching him. He hated having to let his brothers see this, but he couldn't help it. Leo couldn't put on his mask now. There was no mask anymore. There was no reason to hide the anguish tormenting his soul.

Don and Mikey were in the same shape. They had each other though, and for that Leo was extremely grateful. They spent most of their time in the kitchen or living room. Leo often found both of them asleep on the couch, always close and touching, as if to make sure they wouldn't be ripped apart. Leo worried about them, but he couldn't do anything now. He couldn't cope. It would be worse to try to help them. So he left them be for now. Once he found a solid foundation to latch onto and begin healing, then he could help them. It agonized him even more to do nothing, but it was necessary.

Even though he was in a lot of pain, most of all, Leo felt numb. He could manage to keep the knowledge away for a while, but when he did, he felt limp and shallow, like a pool an inch deep. Anything deeper was lost in the permanent feeling of being punched in the gut. It made him curl over in pain when he realized half of his family was lying dead in their freezer in Don's lab. None of them had set foot in there since they tucked Raph's body in next to Splinter's. They would go to the farm for their burials tomorrow. Leo had returned to Casey's and April's after Raph was gone and called the police after collecting all they would want. Old picture albums, Casey's baseball bats, April's china, other things that held fond memories that were too hard to recollect at the moment.

Thoughts of April and Casey made tears fall down Leo's face and his limbs began shaking. It would be hard going up there tomorrow without them. He would miss their constant bickering, April's strong opinion and control, Casey's stupidity and the constant wrestling matches with Raph.

Raph.

Thoughts of his brother sent Leo falling to the ground, gripping his stomach and clenching his jaw. Raph. The strong willed, hotheaded, fierce one; Raph, the one to always jump into a fight first; the one Leo would stay up late and wait for; the one that would use Leo as a punching bag, but let Leo punch him back when he needed it. Raph, the one that had held him together after Splinter died; the one that was too proud to show emotions, or maybe considerate enough to hide them from the oldest to keep him from worrying, but Leo could still see them behind that brave façade. Raph, the one he needed right now to come in and kick his sorry shell. The one that would have told him everything was going be alright and make it so. The one that couldn't be gone.

And yet, his cold frozen corpse lay in an icy casket a hundred feet away. There would be no more pointless arguments, no more playful competitions, no more silent understanding passing between them. There would be no more rock for Leo to lean on when he was beaten, like he was now.

And Splinter.

The thought of his father made him throw a hand to his face and clamp his mouth shut to hold back the sobs. Leo couldn't even begin to describe the agony that twisted his entire body dry.

"_Leonardo."_

A soft yelp slipped through his hand as he heard the voice. Leo had to get control before his brother's heard. _It wasn't him. It's just your stupid imagination. Stop it._ He mentally yelled at himself.

"_My son."_

Leo screamed, but was cut short as he sucked in his breath. He soon felt the burning need for oxygen, but he ignored it, knowing that he would only scream more. Black began tickling his vision and he tried to give in to unconsciousness, but another voice reached his ears.

"Leo?" Mikey's soft voice came from the doorway Leo's back was facing. He released his hold over his mouth and sat up, taking in long shallow breaths.

"Yeah Mike?" He breathed, facing his brother. Leo could only see a silhouette surrounded by the harsh luminescent lighting.

"Dude, you're white." Mikey said as he rushed forward.

"I'm fine, Mike." Leo snapped as he brushed his brother away. Leo instantly felt ashamed. Mikey's face twisted up in hurt and his eyes brimmed with tears. "Mikey, I'm sorry. I'm a mess. I'm sorry I've been such a bad brother. I should be here for you and Don. I'm so sorry. I'm gonna get better, I promi…" Leo was cut off as Mikey fell into his arms and latched his arms around Leo.

"Leo, we haven't been there for you. I'm sorry too, bro." He said between sobs. Leo felt his control returning, and the limp feeling was replaced with a fire that strengthened him. He still had two brothers to take care of, and he needed to hang onto that. It would keep him firm. It would give him a purpose and a reason to keep living.

Several moments of silence passed before Leo spoke again.

"What did you need Mike?" Leo said softly as they rose to their feet.

"Don says we're ready. It's nearly midnight."

The gut punched feeling returned, and Leo fought to remain upright. "We just need to load up the…" He gulped back bile. "The freezer?"

Mikey clenched his jaw, but his face was of pure anguish. "Yeah." He barely breathed.

Leo just nodded and they made their way out of the now dark dojo. Leo didn't know if he would ever be able to set foot inside again. So much sweat and blood had been spilt in this room; so many memories with his now deceased family members. He sadly shut the door after grabbing his katana and placing them on his back.

The freezer was in the garage already, and Leo made himself sing a song in his head to distract himself as he helped his brothers lift it into the back of the van. Not a word was spoken as they hopped in, Mikey in the back, Leo at the wheel, and Don in the passenger seat. Mikey had brought a blanket and was soon asleep.

Half an hour of silence passed before Leo caught the sound of sniffling.

"Don?" He whispered.

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"Shell you are. Shell we all are." Leo said softly.

"Leo, how do you stand it? How do you cope with this?" Don said angrily.

"I don't, Don. I can't. How can I?" Leo said sadly. He glanced at his brother and saw the pain in his features. Don was thinner, just like Leo probably was. Mikey was the only one that had been able to eat, and it had only been a fraction of what it normally was.

"You've been better than me and Mikey. I haven't heard or seen you cry once. You haven't woken up screaming after a nightmare at all." Don's voice was choppy and soft, like he had been screaming. And he had. Leo had heard every night.

Leo sighed. He knew telling Don would only make him angrier, but he couldn't bring himself to lie to his distraught brother. "That's cuz I haven't slept, Donnie. I can't."

Don was silent for several minutes. "I'm sorry, Leo." He whispered.

"No, Don. I'm sorry. I haven't been there for you. I've been a wreck. I'm better now. We'll make it through this. We still have each other." Leo reached over and grabbed his brother's hand. "I promise."

"I know Leo. Thanks." He whispered.

The next few hours passed in silence. Don drifted in and out of sleep. Leo kept the radio on, but his thoughts still drifted to his fallen family members.

_Leo._

"Guys, we're here."


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to LilNinjaWolf and Necro13 for the reviews. I really appreciate them**** I had a better and longer version of this chapter, but it got deleted**** so sad. Anyways, sorry it took so long for this one. I have final this week so there probably won't be another one for a while. Please let me know if there's something I need to fix or that I can make better. Thanks for reading!**

**I do not own TMNT**

Leo turned onto the familiar dirt road. His brothers sat up and rubbed their eyes groggily.

"Ugh, I need coffee." Mikey mumbled from the backseat. Don turned around and glared at him.

"You think you need coffee." He snapped.

"Guys, let's remember why we're here. We gotta stick together." Leo said softly.

"Sorry, Leo." They muttered in unison.

Leo gently pulled up to the run down two story house and shut off the engine, plunging the car into silence except for soft breathing. Leo sadly closed his eyes, focusing on building up the wall that would hide his turmoil until later. He finally sighed and opened the door. His brothers followed suit, and they all three walked up to the house.

"You guys get something to eat and I'll look for a place and some shovels in the barn." Leo said as he broke away from his brothers and started to walk towards the barn, but Mikey grabbed his arm.

"Dude, you need to eat too. You look awful." Mikey's eyes shone with fear and instability. Leo knew that Mikey didn't just want him to eat; he wanted to make sure nothing would happen to his older brother. Leo sighed.

"Mike, I'm not hungry."

"Leo, you do need to eat. Come on, just a little." Donnie encouraged, placing a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"You guys go find some food. I'll just go find the shovels, and be right there." The hesitant, worried looks on his brothers' faces made him continue. "I promise."

Their eyes dropped, still nervous about leaving their brother, but they walked inside without another word. Leo slowly made his way to the barn and sighed. He would never find shovels in this mess. He slowly made his way from one end of the barn to the other without finding a single shovel-like tool. Frustrated, he climbed the ladder to the second story and rummaged through the various piles of rusted metal. He finally found two at the edge of the loft, but he jerked still when he heard rustling in the old hay. He quietly drew a katana and reached out to move a rusted sheet of metal behind which he heard something. The metal was heavy, but he finally managed to push it out of the way and he jumped back when a frightened pigeon fluttered near his face. He sighed to himself as his heart beats began to slow, disappointed that he was so on edge that he got frightened by a bird. He picked up the shovels and lightly stepped towards the ladder, but he ducked back into the shadows when a movement below caught his eye. It was bigger than a bird, which meant it was a threat. Maybe now he would find out who was responsible for murdering his family. He lowered himself to his plastron and pulled himself to the edge of the loft. He glanced over the edge. The intruder was gone, but there were plenty of places for him to hide. Leo hurriedly slid down the ladder with the shovels in tow. He leaned them against the wall before drawing his katana and cautiously making his way to the barn doors. His acute senses detected no other noise but his own breathing and heart, but Leo could feel a presence. He stood still for a moment, but suddenly spun when he heard something from outside.

There, standing in the bright daylight, was a transparent figure of Raph. Leo fell to his knees and grabbed his head, trying to shake free of the illusions his mind was creating.

"No, Raph is dead. Raph is dead." He muttered to himself as he pounded his fist into the scratchy grass at his knees. The tears were threatening to break free, but all of his struggling halted when the figure spoke.

"_Leo!"_ The voice was hollow and soft, like it was coming from behind a glass window, but it was unmistakably Raph.

"Raph?" Leo cried. "Raph, just go away. You're gone. I can't take this!" Leo was laying in the grass, clutching his head by the time he finished whimpering out his plea.

The figure came closer to him, abut he just whimpered and closed his eyes, trying to build back the wall that had come crumbling down when he had seen his deceased brother.

"_Guys, I got him! Damn, he looks like sh…" _

Leo looked up as the voice faded away, and he was relieved to find the ghost gone. He wrapped his arms around his gut and fought the feeling to throw up.

"Leo! What the shell happened?" Leo slowly opened his eyes and looked up into the face of his now immediate younger brother.

"Don?" He mumbled.

"Yeah, are you okay?" He asked as he helped his oldest brother to his feet. Leo groaned and rubbed his head.

"I….dunno." Leo said slowly as he tried to remember what had happened. "Don! I saw Raph! He….he was a ghost! And…and he was talkin' to me!" He said quickly. Don wrapped one of his arms over his shoulders and started leading Leo towards the house.

"Leo, you're mind was probably playing tricks on you…"

"No, Don, I know it was real. He was talking to me and ev…" Leo stopped when a slight breeze blew a sharp scent of gasoline into his nose. "Mikey." He whispered. He threw Don's arm off and Ran with everything he had towards the house. Don was right behind him, and they had nearly made it to the front porch, when an enormous explosion erupted and threw them backwards. Leo quickly shook off the pain after he landed and jumped to his feet.

"Mikey!" He yelled as he reached the burning house and leapt through a cracked window, the remaining glass shattering and tearing his skin. He felt nothing, the need to find his brother overtaking all of his senses. The searing heat and smoke clouded his vision, but he pushed past the falling debris. He concluded that he was in the living room, and hurriedly made his way to the kitchen, reasoning that it was the most likely place his brother would be. Leo felt his gut twist when he didn't see his brother from the door, he shoved a burning beam and found Mikey sprawled under the now burning table, a large beam lying across his back. Leo shoved the board off with some difficulty and threw his brother over his shoulders. He searched for a way out and finally kicked open the back door, singeing his foot.

"Leo! Mikey! Where are you?" Donnie screamed near the front porch.

"Here!" Leo choked out as he fell to his knees a safe distance from the burning house and laid Mikey down. Don ran over and immediately started checking for breathing and pulse. After a few compressions, Mikey coughed and his eyes opened slowly.

"Leo…hurts…" he whimpered, tears leaking from his eyes, staining his mask darker. Leo stroked his forehead gently as Don continued to check him over.

"Leo…" Don finally breathed. Leo's gaze shot up at the despair in his brother's voice. "Leo, his shell…it snapped..." Don quietly cried, the pain in his voice angering Leo.

"I he…heard dat." Mikey gasped. "I know I'm not gonna….gonna make it. Donnie…man, bro." He stopped, out of breath and emotion clogging his throat. "Don, you're my best bud. I'll wait for you…Heaven'd better have Mario…cuz…cuz I still gotta beat you." Mikey's breathing was hollow and nearly non existent. He closed his eyes in pain, but continued talking. "And Leo…big bro….I'm sorry…for all those…those stupid things I did…."

"Mikey," Leo whispered.

"But…dude seriously….I love you" Mikey's eyes opened for a mere second and looked straight into Leo's, then to Don's "and I love you Don….keep going…for…for me…an' Raph…and Splinta…I'll tell them…hi…for…"

Mikey's chest fell, and didn't rise again. Don's upper body fell onto Mikey's plastron, one of Mike's wrists still clamped between his fingers as his body shook with sobs. Leo shifted and cradled Mikey's head in his lap, but his eyes watched the house slowly turn to ash.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yay! Thanks to those who reviewed! You made my night! I feel like I am losing control of the story really fast. It's really hard to write emotions, physical happening, thoughts, ghosts, and everything else in this story. Oh well, hope you enjoy! R and R please?**

**I do not own TMNT**

Hours passed. Don's crying eventually died down and he fell asleep, but Leo felt no need to sleep. His mind was running too fast to even feel tired. Five of his closest family members and friends…gone. Just like that. One after the other, beginning with his father. Who could hate him so much? Leo was certain that there was a reason he was still alive. He was the one being targeted. He would have been killed after his father had they been seeking to destroy the family. Maybe they were just seeking to destroy Leo, but in a more barbaric way than death. It was definitely not the Purple Dragons or Hun. Each murder was too clean, each different and they wouldn't play these torturous schemes by taking away one person at a time. Karai couldn't be behind this, could she? Leo wanted to believe that, but the more he thought of it, the more certain he became that the Foot was behind this. Leo's resolve hardened and his anger flared, but he pushed it aside, knowing revenge would come later. Now he had to focus on keeping his last brother alive and burying the rest of his family. Trying to calm himself, he closed his eyes and drifted into a meditative state.

"_Leo! Where are you?" _

"_Dude, we need you!"_

"_Leo! Shell, Leo! Where are you?"_

"_My son! My son!"_

Frustrated by the tricks of his mind, Leo fought his way back to reality, and opened his eyes. He was surprised to find that it was nearly daylight. The fires were now just glowing embers, and his brother hadn't moved an inch in the nearly three hours he must have been laying there. Leo gently scooted out from under Mikey's head, and nudged his breathing brother.

"Mmm." Don croaked. Leo laid a protective hand on his shoulder and noted how cold his brother was. "Go 'way."

"Don, come on. Let's get to the van. We'll get you a blanket." Leo whispered, scared to make any loud noises in the stark silence. His purple clad brother slowly pushed himself to his knees and shook his head. Don looked at Mikey's blank and drained face, fresh tears slipping down his face.

"Come on Don." Leo prodded as he gently lifted him to his feet. Don relied heavily on Leo, as he was still not fully awake, and they slowly made their way to the van. Leo hurriedly covered his brother after he laid him in the passenger seat, and set off to the barn to grab the shovels. Leo was annoyed to find that he was extremely panicky being away from his brother, but he reminded himself that he had a good reason to be. He ran back to the van, and made sure Don was still breathing. He sighed and the knot in his gut loosened ever so slightly. As he walked to the back of the van, he caught sight of himself in the dusty window. His heart raced at the sight. His once grass green skin was now a sickly shade of grey, and his face looked hollow. His limbs were limp and gangly-looking. But what shocked him most was his eyes. Bordered by blue, horrid, lifeless bloodshot eyes stared back at him. He stared at himself intently, and suddenly he could see each of his deceased family members behind him. He spun around, half expecting to see ghost-like figures like Raph had been, but there was nothing. He shook his head and opened up the back doors. Sight of the freezer sent shivers down his spine. He shook it off and closed the doors again. He hopped in the driver's seat and turned the car on, and drove the short distance to Mikey.

After all of his family members, dead and alive, were in the van, he pulled around the back of the house and parked near a large oak tree that shaded half of the backyard. Leo checked on his brother once more and making sure he could see him from where he would be before pulling out the shovels and starting to dig. The physical labor seemed harder than it should have, but he reveled in the burning in his muscles, the pain that had grown so familiar to him over the years. He lost his mind in the work, but noted as his surroundings slowly lightened. By mid morning, a large pile of dirt had formed behind him, and a gaping hole stared up at him.

"Leo?" Don mumbled from the van. Leo was at his side in an instant.

"Yeah Don?"

Leo winced when tears formed in his brother's eyes. "Leo," he sniffled. "Leo, I had the worst dream. Raph and Mikey and Splinter and Ape and Case…they…they all died… right in front of me. Leo, why?" Leo threw open the door and captured his shivering brother in his arms.

"I don't know Don. But I'm still here, and I sure as hell ain't going anywhere." Leo found his strength returning by holding his brother, holding onto the only reason he was still breathing.

"Leo, it wasn't Karai. In my dream, I mean." Don said after a moment and pulling back. Leo still held onto his shoulders, keeping his hold on reality.

"Who was it then Don?" Leo asked quietly. His brother's face crumpled as more tears fell, but he bravely spoke. "I don't know. But I was looking down at…at…at the…the bodies…and there was this cackling maniac behind me. I spun around, but then I woke up."

"It's alright Don, it wasn't real."

"But everyone's gone, Leo! How are we supposed to live without them? Live without Mikey's jokes? Or Raph's temper? Or Sensei's lessons? Or April and Casey's help and love? How Leo?" Don nearly screamed as he fell once again into his older brother's arms. Leo felt the same pain as Donnie, and he honestly didn't know how they were going to make it without them. So, he let his brother dig in his hands into his plastron and bury his face in his neck, while Leo's own tears fell down his face.

"Don?" He said after a moment, the numbing feeling coating the festering pain in his chest. Don said nothing, he simply moved to let Leo know he was listening. "Don, remember what Mikey told you?" His olive brother nodded into his throat. "He told you to keep going. For him and Raph, for Splinter. They wouldn't want you to give up. And Donnie, they aren't really gone. Remember when I left to Japan? It's like that. We're…" Leo fought back the threatening tears, successful for the first time in a long time. "We're just separated for a while. We'll see them again. You know we will."

Leo held his breath, waiting for his brother's response. Finally Donnie sighed and sat up. He still looked tired and ragged, but at least he was somewhat under control again.

"You're right, Leo. I'll heed Mikey's words." Leo sensed something under the layer of bravery besides pain, but he couldn't figure out what. He finally nodded and helped Don out of the van.

"Then let's send them home." Leo said quietly. They managed to get the freezer out of the van and into the hole. Surprisingly no crying occurred as they said prayers in Japanese to their fallen family members, their hands entwined, gaining strength from each other as they said goodbye. They spent the rest of the day gathering flowers to decorate the fresh grave, and they were on the road to New York by dusk, the knot of worry in Leo's gut growing as they got closer and closer to what would now be a dank, lifeless home.

**A/N continued: I had such a hard time coming up with a villain for this story. In the past it was some freak of my imagination, but now I have to fit him to a known enemy so I don't have to write so much about THE DARK SIDE. Anyways, this is going to be a story with an OC. I know there are a lot of people that don't like OCs in stories like this, but there's just no way to make it work without one. So sorry to disappoint:/ but thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy the rest!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I'm sitting here at school with absolutely nothing to do for the next hour, so I figured I'd write this up for you guys. I really don't know how far this is gonna go, but I'm hoping it will be about 10 chapters. So halfway there! And I hate happy endings, so…. Just kiddin' I could never leave Leo miserable. But things have to get worse before they can get better, so hold onto your hats (or ninja masks) and get ready for the ride.**

**I do not own TMNT**

The lair was dark and cold. It was nearly dawn as Leo and Don made their way into the sewers. Don had slept nearly the entire way, but he still felt tired, so he went to his room the moment they walked in. Leo made sure he was alright before he gathered the last of their things from the van and scouted the nearby sewer tunnels for intruders. So far no one had been murdered in or near their home, but that barely made Leo's worry less.

Feelings of restlessness and anger roiled through Leo's veins, so he couldn't find the will power to even walk to his room. Instead he settled on tidying the lair, but he found that seeing their home the way it usually was, messy and dirty, he left it, finding it too painful to remind himself that Mikey would never move his skateboard, or Raph would never touch his punching bag again. He settled instead on meditating in the dojo, and surrounding himself with the familiar feel and scent of his brothers. He quickly lit a few candles and settled in the corner nearest to Don's bedroom. Trying to push away the feelings of despair and anger, he settled into a meditative state, and let his senses expand.

"_Leo,"_

"_Leo,"_

"_Leo,"_

_Images of his brothers and father passed through his mind. Memories kept dear, and some that had been thought forgotten. The day they first went to the surface and Mikey was enthralled with seeing the sky. Don had been anxious and nervous, but the moment they touched the surface, he had started analyzing every little detail, drinking in the new discoveries. Raph had kept to the shadows, trying to act like it was no big deal that they were above ground for the first time since their mutation, but eventually he had given in and become fascinated with everything around him._

_The first time they had eaten pizza._

_Or the day they had first fought the Foot._

_The day the Mousers had destroyed their home._

_The day they had lost their Sensei, and the day they had rescued him._

_The day they had chosen their weapons._

_The day he almost died after being attacked by the Elite._

_Leo cringed at that memory. He remembered the endless pain, the writhing agony, then the haunting blackness that had nearly taken him from his family. _

_The day they found Leatherhead._

_The countless arguments with Raph._

_The endless pranks Mikey had pulled._

_The numerous days Don had stayed up late working on some new project that would help them._

_The day Splinter had appointed him leader._

_The day he had failed that role. Anger flared in his gut as he remembered being on that ship, with no other option to destroy their sworn enemy, the Shredder, then to destroy themselves as well. The Utroms had arrived just in time and saved their lives, but if they had not…Leo hated to think what would have happened. But the weeks following had been his biggest failure. He had pushed himself to hard, turned into a rock, become his own worst enemy. _

_And now he was doing the same thing. _

_He couldn't help but realize the similarities of the situations, except that now his family was dying, one by one. There were no Utroms to save them. And this time Leo just wasn't good enough to stop the destruction. He had tried to use the training that the Ancient one had taught him, but he felt that wall of strength crumbling as each of his family members' faces crossed his mind._

_Casey._

_April._

_Mikey._

_Raph._

_Master Splinter._

_Don._

"_LEO!"_

The scream echoed through the dojo. Leo shot up and flew to his brother's room. Without thinking, he slammed open the door and drew a katana. The adrenaline rush coursed through his veins, his senses revealing no intruder. After making sure no one was present, Leo cautiously stepped inside. He sighed when he saw Don leaned over his desk, his lamped lighting the small span of his desk, his head resting on his forearms. Leo stepped forward, tugging a blanket off of the bed as he did so. He gently laid it around his brother's shoulders. A ragged looking piece of paper beneath his brother's forehead caught his eye, and he gently removed it. His brother's handwriting looked rushed and sloppy.

Leo,

I'm so sorry. If you have found this letter, I am already gone. I couldn't do it Leo. I know that you will be alone now, but I couldn't do it. I can't live without them. You can, I know you can. Like Mikey said, we'll wait up for you.

Don

Leo's heart raced faster with each word, and as he finished he looked at his seemingly sleeping brother. He placed a hand on his shoulder, and pushed Don back into a sitting position.

The sight of a knife hilt sticking out of his brother's plastron suddenly gave Leo a feeling to throw up. Once his stomach was completely empty, and the stinging taste of bile filled his mouth, he stood up. He took one last look at his brother, then ran to the dojo, tripping on the stairs and nearly crashing through the doors. He clumsily knocked over the rack of weight and the candles he had used earlier. He headed to the far end of the wall with one thing in mind.

The wall held several shelves of various weapons and training supplies, but Leo's eyes took in only one item. On the very top shelf, laying in a decorative case, was Master Yoshi's sword. The wicked blade glimmered with temptation. Leo leapt up and smoothly grabbed the hilt. He slowly walked to the middle of the floor. He gazed at the delicate carving in Japanese on the blade, and affectionately rubbed the clothed hilt. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before raising the sword, the tip of the blade resting against his plastron.

His arms tensed, ready to shove the blade through his chest, but he froze when he heard the latch on the sewer door click, and the soft whoosh as the lair's main door opened.


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: YAY! I'm so glad people liked the last chapter. I'm thinking two to three more chapters and we'll be done. I'm still not sure who the bad guy in this story is but I guess we'll find out soon enough. But you do get a clue! Enjoy!**

**I do not own TMNT.**

Leo tensed at the sound, and he melted into the shadows, leaning Master Yoshi's sword against the wall and out of sight. He heard faint footsteps in the entrance of the lair, and they slowly got louder. He held his breath as the door to the dojo slowly opened, and the harsh fluorescent light filled the room, revealing only the shadow of the intruder. As the figure stepped inside, he grabbed onto one of the beams in the ceiling and hoisted himself to the rafters. The figure was holding a short sword and clothed in black, but Leo couldn't tell if it was a Foot soldier or not. The figure was short and slender, so Leo presumed it was a girl. He silently made his way to the wall near the door and flipped on the light. The figure spun around, pulling out another short sword. Leo let go of his hold on the girder and fell gracefully to the ground, withdrawing a katana and raising it defensively.

"Leo?" The girl whispered. A mask covered her face and prevented Leo from determining who it was, but the voice sounded familiar.

"Who are you?" He growled, ready to draw his second blade.

The figure stepped closer, but stopped and removed her mask when Leo growled. Leo stepped back in surprise when he saw her face.

"Sam?" The girl stepped closer. A flare of pain flashed through Leo and he stepped back, but he lowered his sword. "What are you doing here?"

"Leo, you have to listen to me." She started, reaching out to touch his arm. He pulled back and glared at her.

"You need to go, Sam. I don't want you here, and I know you don't want to be either." He said harshly. He grimaced as her saw her; She looked the same as the last time he had seen her. Her dark brown hair was slightly longer and fell past her shoulders. Her skin was a pale peach and light freckles dusted her face. The only difference he noted was the fear in her green eyes, the fear he had put there, because of what he had done. "Just go." He whispered as he turned away from her and started to walk towards the door.

"No, Leo. You have to listen to me." She grabbed his arm and Leo spun around.

"I said no, Sam. It's not a good time. I need you to leave." He shook her hold and opened the door, but he stopped when she spoke again.

"Why? So you can kill yourself and join your family?" She sneered. A small, pained smile crossed her mouth when he turned to face her again. Leo stepped closer to her and stared into her eyes, searching for honesty and noting the familiar fire in them.

"What are you talking about?" He hissed. "I haven't seen you since that night and now you think you know everything that's happening? Well you have no clue."

"I know your whole family is gone. Donnie killed himself about an hour ago." She whispered sadly.

The reminder of the recent death sent Leo over the edge. He pulled back from her, the anger flaring in his chest and the need to hurt something overwhelming his senses. He ran to the weight rack and shoved it over in frustration*. After he knocked over several weapon racks, he ran to the practice dummy and sliced through it in one swipe. He barely heard Sam screaming his name over the pounding in his ears. He furiously tore the leather to shreds. Once there were no more than shreds of the trashed bag, he threw his swords to the practice target. Blind anger tinted his vision red, and he barely acknowledged that he was punching the wall until Sam appeared in front of him. His right hand was drawn back, ready to break into the brick, but the sight of the girl melted his anger and he dropped his hand. He saw no fear at being in the path of his fist, he saw only concern and worry which sent him crumbling to the floor, sobbing. Warm arms surrounded him and he soon found himself lying in Sam's lap, yelling and crying, asking her why. Sam said nothing; she simply stroked the crest of his head and rocked slightly. Leo's sobs eventually turned to soft whimpering and Sam began to hum. The scrubbed raw feeling throughout Leo's whole body was terrifying. He felt naked and vulnerable, like his armor had been stripped away, his wall that had protected him at least partially from the realization that he was alone had crumbled. He felt weak and cold, but feeling Sam's arms around him again somehow comforted him. Minutes of nothing but Leo's shaky breathing and Sam's soft humming passed, creating an eternity that left Leo feeling numb and tired. He closed his eyes and slowly built the energy to sit up. Sam let him, but she still kept a hand on his arm, as if to just assure him that she wasn't leaving.

"How…how did you know?" He croaked.

A soft smile crossed her face and she moved closer. "Leo, it's not real. I don't have much time before he finds me, but your brothers should be close. Leo you have to trust me."

Leo stared at her like she was crazy. "Sam, what the shell are you talking about?"

"Leo, you're just gonna have to trust me. This isn't real. You got captured and we haven't been able to find you till now. You just have to focus. You might be able to break free."

"Sam, what the shell?" Leo barked. Sam removed her hand from his arm and backed away.

"Leo, you're in a virtual reality. He's had you trapped in here. If you die in here you die out there. He's been trying to get you to commit suicide." Sam stood up and swayed slightly. Leo shot up and reached to steady her, but his hand went through her arm, as if she wasn't there.

"Dammit," she hissed. "Don said I didn't have much time and you had to go off and throw a tantrum."

"Sam, what's going on?" Leo yelled over her mumbling. "Sam!"

"Leo!" she cried as she began to fade. Leo could see the back wall through her, as if she were a transparent hologram. Tears formed in her eyes and Leo stepped closer. She rested what was left of her hand on his shoulder. "Leo, please, just don't do anything for the next hour. Just meditate. Focus on your family."

"But.." he started.

"You've heard their voices. Just focus on them, and trust me!" She screamed as she disappeared.

He fell to his knees, still reaching out to where she had been standing. Tears dripped down his face, and he dropped his head in defeat.

"How can I trust someone that doesn't trust me anymore?" He whispered to the ground

***Ten brownies points to anyone who knows which movie this happens in!**


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: The next chapters are going to becoming from various views, but you should be able to figure it out. I have faith in you.**

**And no one got the answer! No one was even close! Haha it was in TMNT after Leo gets captured and Raph goes to Master Splinter. Love that scene (I think Leo has the freaking sexiest guy scream ever).**

**I know everyone is curious as to who Sam is. I am not going to go into any major details. She is someone from the Turtles past, and Leo did something to her that he thinks is unforgivable (as stated in the preview). I will be writing that story next, as a sort of prequel.**

**And so begins the rescue mission. Haha enjoy! **

**I do not own TMNT**

"Sir, we detected an intruder in the database."

"What!" The man yelled as he spun and faced the informant.

"It was a human female. She was in and out of the system in five minutes, but she did have contact with the turtle."

"What did she say to him?" The man sneered, his temper flaring.

"We tried to retrieve records, but somehow they encoded a virus that blocked out our recording system for those five minutes and they used a previously recorder clip of the turtle meditating."

The man growled in frustration and rubbed his temples. "How long ago did this happen?"

"Fifteen minutes ago. We just discovered that there was intruder."

"Are you certain there was an intruder? That it wasn't just a glitch?"

"Positive."

The man growled again. "Were you able to trace the virus?"

"No, it was embedded in our own code. Someone hacked the system and deleted any trace of where it came from."

"That's impossible!" The man shouted.

"Nothing is impossible, Mr. Stockman." A dark figure hissed, and stepped out of the shadows.

"Mistress Karai, pardon my blunt words, but you really have no idea what you are talking about." Stockman sneered.

"That may be so, but I do know about the turtles, and last I checked there was a genius among them capable of such feats." Karai stepped forward out of the shadows and approached the monitor that Stockman was sitting in front of. On the screen was her former ally and friend, Leonardo. He looked much thinner and paler, dark circles under his eyes. He was sitting cross-legged on a mat in their so called dojo. She gazed a moment more at the screen before turning and walking to the window on the other side of the room. Beyond the glass lay the physical form of Leonardo. He looked nearly the same as the image on the screen, except for the wires and tubes connected to his body, and the large, helmet-like cap covering his head. Karai felt the anger flare in her gut at the sight of him. She should have ended this days ago. She knew that Leo had been suffering, but she had grown impatient with him. He had held on to his sanity longer than she had hoped.

"Chaplin," she hissed at the red head stooping over the keyboard near Stockman. "There has to be a trace somewhere."

"I'll get straight to work on it." He said as he hurried out of the room.

Karai motioned to one of the guards to step forward. ""I am certain that this was merely a decoy. They are coming for their brother. Alert the Elite and Foot soldiers." The soldier nodded and ran out of the room. Stockman opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a hand, and he remained silent. "Stockman, how long until he snaps?"

"I don't know for sure…" he started, but continued when Karai glared at him. "But I'm sure it won't be long. The system is still functioning properly. Those glitches that allowed his brother Raphael to enter the system have been repaired."

"Then how did that girl get in?" She snapped. Stockman flinched at the words.

"I will sit here and monitor the firewalls myself." He said dutifully and she nodded before turning once more to the unconscious turtle.

"You will pay for taking my father away from me." She whispered menacingly to the glass.

"Alright Don, we're in position." Raph whispered into the tiny microphone resting on his cheek. Mikey shifted next to him. Raph knew his brother was as anxious as he was that they were hanging from the ceiling over a mass of Foot soldiers.

"Great. How many are there?" His brother's voice said softly into his ear.

"A whole freaking lot." Mikey said before Raph could respond.

"Damn, they must have found the virus in their system. I knew I should have made that encryption code…"

"Earth to Don, we have a mission to complete? 'Member, brainiac?"

"Right, sorry." He said over the communicator. "Well, if all goes according to plan, we won't have to even touch a Foot ninja."

"Bite your tongue." Raph hissed. "With our damn turtle luck we're gonna have to take out every single one while carrying our brother back to the van."

Soft static was the only sound in Raph's ears for a moment.

"Alright, I need you to get to one of the doors and plug in that transmitter. If you can, April can lock those Foot in and we won't have to deal with them."

"I sure as hell hope that's true Don, cuz there's way too many of 'em." Raph and Mikey silently climbed across the ceiling to the far wall.

"April, you there?" Don's voice was softer, but Raph listened anyways.

"Right here Don." The familiar voice was barely audible.

"Alright, there are two main entrances. Karai is expecting us to use either the main entrance where Raph and Mikey are, or the storage entrance, which is where you are. We'll be coming out that way. Casey and I are on the roof. Sam should be coming on the shell cycle any minute; the connection gave out eight minutes ago. Is Master Splinter connected?" Don asked.

"He's got the headset on but I'm not sure if he is connected." April said a few words that Raph didn't catch. He presumed that she was talking to Splinter. "He says he is trying to find Leo. He says his voice is the only thing getting through."

"Alright, that will have to be enough for now. We're almost there. According to the eregy grid, Leo is being held only a couple floors down from us." Raph motioned to Mikey before he pulled out his wall claws* and leapt to the vertical bricks.

"Hey, brainiac," Raph interrupted. "Will just the wire connecting to the door work?"

Don stopped his monologue and was silent for a moment. "Hmmmm, it should. Do you see the latch on the bottom of the transmitter?"

"Yeah."

"Open that and there will be a little clamp. Just clip it into the wires and April should be able to lockdown the building."

"Gotcha." Raph snapped the small device into place on the wire. "Go for it, Ape."

"Alright…" She mumbled. Raph could hear clicking of keys before a triumphant "Yes! Alright guys, those ninja aren't going anywhere. You have an air shaft on the northeast corner that should lead to the elevator."

"Sweet. Thanks April." Mikey said before he grabbed onto one of the rafters and started swinging to the corner. Raph made sure that the transmitter was secure before following him.

"Hold on, Leo. We're almost there." He whispered.

Leo had been pacing the dojo for the past ten minutes, trying to figure out why Sam of all people had come to him and what she had meant. He had been captured? He needed to break free?

His family was alive? And trying to find him?

Leo felt overwhelmed. A ghost of his past showing up and telling him to trust her? Leo was so confused. How could she have put on that brave face and come to him? Trying to save him after what he had done to her? Why should he trust her if he had hurt her? What if she was lying to him? Trying to hurt him more?

_Leonardo._

His master's voice echoed in his mind, and it shocked him. It seemed to be louder than the last times. What had Sam said? Focus on their voices. Leo hastily lit the candles he had knocked over earlier and shut the dojo door, leaving nothing but the soft yellow glow to brighten the dark, before sitting on the mat and closing his eyes.

"_Master." He called. Leo focused on each of his family members, drawing memories and familiarities of each of them._

"_My son." _

"_Master, where am I?" Leo pleaded._

"_My son, we are coming. Try to break free of the manipulation. Focus on returning to your body. We will need your help."_

_Leo called out again, but no reply came. He focused his mind, and silently prayed that he could trust Sam._

"They must be here!" Karai shouted. "They would not have invaded the system and then done nothing. Where are they!"

"Right 'ere" A gruff voice said from the doorway. Karai spun towards the door. Raphael stood in the doorframe, clutching one of the guard's throats. "Ain't seen you in a while, Karai, you look a lil' stressed." Raph snickered as he dropped soldier and stepped forward. Mikey appeared behind him, his nunchucks already spinning in his fists.

"Ah, Raphael, it has been a while. I must admit I have been busy with your brother. He is quite a handful sometimes." She smirked, glancing through the glass window. Raph and Mikey's eyes followed hers and she laughed inside when she saw their horrified faces.

It was then she struck. She took Raph down first. She knew he was more dangerous when he was angry, and she knew that sight of his dying brother had struck a match that lit his tank. Raphael hadn't been prepared, and he flew into the wall with a solid smack. Mikey turned his full attention to her and managed to knock her backwards, but she easily regained her feet. Raph was standing and now fighting the remaining guards in the room while Karai dealt with Michaelangelo. She drew her sword, and lunged, but he easily dodged her and managed to strike her leg. She cried out and rolled back to dodge another strike.

"Stockman! Where are my soldiers?" She yelled, drawing out her chain and throwing it towards the orange masked turtle.

"Well, I wouldn't know Mistress Karai."

"Stockman!" She screamed, impatient wit his smugness. Michaelangelo was temporarily distracted by one of the guards that had knocked down his brother.

"Alright! It seems that something or someone has hacked the system and locked your army on the main floor."

Karai shrieked in frustration. "Then how did those turtles get in here?"

"I don't know, Karai." He yelled as he tapped furiously on the keyboard. "But it is going to take a minute to crack their code and reset the system."

Karai growled. "We don't have a minute." She looked at the monitor, then to the two turtles that were coming towards her, their weapons drawn, and then to the unconscious turtle beyond the glass window. There was only one way out now. "Send the termination sequence. Kill him!" She shrieked as she ran to the back door.

*** I am so sorry I had no idea what to call these!**


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Short chapter. Couldn't find a better place to end it without making it too long. Enjoy!**

Sam leaned over the kitchen sink, the disgusting smell of bile filling her nose. She was certain that every meal she had eaten in the past week was now filling the sink pipes. She shook her head and drew her hand through her hair, tugging it out of her face. Her limbs shook and she struggled to grab a glass and fill it with water before she collapsed into a chair.

She hadn't thought that seeing Leo combined with traveling to a virtual reality would cause such a violent reaction. She had been much worse places and done much worse things than that. But still, she had known that seeing him would have struck something. Going to her brother's once she had discovered Karai's plans had been the easy part; the events that followed had been hectic and draining. But she had to keep going, at least for another. That's what she had told Leo. Just one more hour…

She grabbed container of painkillers from the cupboard and got two before throwing it back in its place and quickly swallowing the pills. She grabbed her leather jacket from the back of the couch as she ran to the garage.

The shell cycle had always scared her. She had seen too many videos in high school of what could happen on a bike, but when they had been coming up with a plan, there had been no other option. She grabbed Raph's helmet before straddling the bike. The engine growled to life, and she silently screamed a prayer that the painkillers would help if she died. She twisted the handle and the engine roared before shooting forward. She held on tight, and prayed that Leo was hanging on too.

"_Sensei!" Leo cried out again. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his fraying nerves. "Think of my brothers, think of my family." He said to himself. Memories flashed across his mind._

_The day he had first broken the toaster and Don had been angry with him._

_The day Mikey had asked him for help after being challenged for the Battle Nexus Champion title._

_The day Raph had helped him forge new swords._

_The day Splinter had helped him overcome his fear of heights._

_Memories of his childhood flooded his mind, and he watched, almost as watching a movie, as he and his brothers aged and matured. _

"_Well, everyone but Mikey." He laughed to himself. He saw all of their battles with the Shredder; Battles with Hun, the Purple Dragons, Bishop, Stockman, Karai._

_Karai. The name stuck out in his mind. He continued to watch his memories, but suddenly felt lightheaded and sick. Intrigued by this particular memory, a battle with Karai in a room he didn't recognize. Mikey and Raph were on the other side of a glass wall, fighting Karai. She disappeared, and Mikey threw a punch at something Leo couldn't see. Casey was there too, but on this side of the glass facing his brothers. He was about to use a baseball bat to break through, but an unconscious form of Baxter Stockman crashed through it. Casey shot through and rushed to Raphael and Michaelangelo. The memory gained sounds; electronic whirring and beeping, dripping water, yells from his family members, though they sounded far away. They were calling his name. The memory faded and he was suddenly back in the dojo. He fell onto his back, the pain in his stomach worsening. His limbs felt tied to the floor, lifeless. It felt like there was a hand around his throat, gagging him, forcing the life out of him. He tried to scream, to open his eyes, but he couldn't move. _

"_Father, help me!" He cried in his mind. The moment he internally said those words, the pain was gone, but he couldn't move, and when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing but black._

Mikey watched as Raphel lunged at the retreating Karai, but Mikey was more concerned with what she had screamed moments earlier. Fear gripped his stomach as he saw Stockman freeze before comprehending and bending over the keyboard. He leapt forward and knocked Stockman away from the computer. He must have bumped something on the way down, because a large projection of what looked like their dojo was suddenly covering the entire back wall. Mike saw Leo sitting on a yoga mat, a few candles surrounding him. He looked like he was meditating, but his mouth was moving. Mikey was thrown forward and slammed into the wall by a kick from Stockman. He shook his head and ignored the oncoming headache before standing and facing his new opponent.

"Don, where are you?" He whispered into the mic on his cheek.

Static filled his ear for a moment, and he dodged another kick from Stockman before his brother answered.

"We ran into some trouble, but we're in the air shaft above Leo. Have you seen him? He looks awful!" Don said, a screwdriver screeching in the background.

"Yeah, he does. He's still in the computer though. We gotta get him out of here now." Mikey said breathlessly as he threw a punch at Stockman. He winced as it made contact with the metal body, but it managed to knock him backwards, giving Mikey time to duck and sweep Stockman's feet out from under him. Mike stood back up and out of the corner of his eye saw Don and Casey fall through the ceiling. Casey bashed one mad-scientist-looking guy's head and he crumbled to the floor as Don took out the other one. Don immediately went to Leo's side, his hands running over his brother's body, being delicate around the tubes and wires attached to nearly every inch of him. Mikey's stomach dropped at his brother's worried face. Casey suddenly blocked his view and had a baseball bat raised to shatter the glass, but out of nowhere Stockman's metal body flew towards the window and knocked out the glass. Mikey turned to where the body had come from and saw Raph. He scrunched his face in a questioning look.

Raph just looked at him innocently before snarling, "She got away."

"Hey, dudes." Casey yelled as he ran to the door, his bat and hockey stick swinging, but he dropped his arms when he saw there was nothing to hit. Mikey turned to the screen and watched his brother. Leo was still sitting on the mat, but his face looked pained and he was gripping his stomach.

"Leo!" Mikey cried.

"Aha!" Mikey spun to see Stockman huddled over the keyboard. Mikey ran towards him, his nunchucks swinging furiously. "Too late, you mindless reptile!" Stockman laughed as he ran out the door Karai had escaped from. Mikey was about to follow him before a blinking red light caught his eye. There, on the small computer screen, were two words that made Mikey's jaw drop.

SUBJECT:TERMINATED.


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: One more chapter and we're finished! Next will be the story of Sam, cuz I know you are all dying to know who she is! Anyways, thanks for reading! **

**I do not own TMNT**

"No!" Mikey screamed as he rushed to his brother. Raphael looked up to the projection and saw his brother lying on his shell, his arms had fallen to his sides. Raph rushed to the bright white room where his brothers were, angrily brushing away the tears that were starting to form.

Raph remained silent as he watched his genius brother carefully remove several wires that dug into Leo's skin. "Don," he whispered, "What can I do?"

Donatello had never heard his brother sound so solemn. "Take of that helmet thing. Be careful, there might be wires."

Raphael gently removed the large helmet from his brother's head. It was heavy, but once he was sure that there was nothing connected to Leo's head, he threw it angrily against the wall.

"Raphael, you must keep calm. You will only cause harm by being angry right now." Splinter said from the ceiling and they all looked up.

"Sensei, I…We didn't… didn't get here in time. He's gone." Don said softly.

"On the contrary my son, Leonardo is not gone. But he is not out of the woods yet. We need to get him home. Michelangelo, help your brother. Casey, Raphael and I will clear a path to the van. You must move quickly though. Leonardo needs help."

Not fully comprehending what his master had told him, Raph was sure of one thing: he would finally get some revenge on what happened to his brother.

Sam reached the warehouse and nearly made it to the van before she had to stop and hide. A large group of darkly clad Foot ninja appeared to coming towards her. Her stomach dropped and she was pretty sure she was as white as a ghost, but she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when the ninjas turned and ran down the street, quickly disappearing into the shadows. After she was sure the coast was clear, she jetted towards the van at the back of the building. The door was open, and she hopped inside after gently setting the bike against the wall building.

"April," she said breathlessly, and she almost laughed when April spun around, a wooden spoon raised defensively. She pulled a questioning glance before shaking her head. "What's going on?"

"They didn't make it in time." April said sadly, she started to continue, but Sam was already out of the van and running into the dark building.

"Leo!" she screamed. The first floor was completely abandoned. She drew her sword, her senses telling her that someone was watching her. Suddenly remembering, she pulled out the spare headset Don had given her and hastily put it on.

"Don! Raph!" she said quietly. Nothing but static filled her ears, and she started to panic. "Mikey? Anyone!" she said louder. She spun when she heard a crate shift behind her. Her heart was fluttering in her chest, and adrenaline pumped through her veins. She was about to dart to the nearest door before a voice filled her ears.

"Sami?" Mikey's voice asked. He was breathing heavily, and Sam could hear fighting in the background.

"Mikey! Where are you?" she nearly cried.

"Uh…. I don't really know. Donnie, where are we?" Silence. "We're on the third floor."

"Okay," she said, cautiously stepping towards the door. "I'm ground level. I'll be right…." A sudden kick from behind sent her flying into the wall. Her head smacked against the brick, and the headset fell off. She managed to pull herself to her knees and shake her head, trying to clear the pain and stars in her vision.

"_Sam? Sam? Guys we have to get down there now!"_ Sam heard faintly before a metal foot stepped on the headset. She looked up into the grinning face of what was left of Baxter Stockman.

"Well, well, well. I think Mistress Karai will be pleased to know we have a traitor in our midst. She was curious as to how the turtles found their poor brother." Stockman sneered. "That is, if I don't have the pleasure of killing you myself first." He grabbed a handful of her hair and tugged her to her feet. She screeched in pain and he simply laughed. "Ah, imagine how the poor turtles and their pathetic friends will feel after losing two of their own."

"Good luck with that, robot." She sneered before twisting his metal hand and tugging free. She felt a chunk of hair tear free of her scalp, but she lunged for her fallen sword. Stockman sprung towards her, and she barely managed to roll away before his metal body crashed to the ground, leaving an indent in the cement. Knowing that she was too weak to defeat him without help from the boys, she leapt into the shadows and tried to keep her breathing low as she speedily crept around in the shadows. Stockman soon got frustrated and began shooting into the stacks of crates. Sam barely stayed ahead of him, but eventually he caught sight of her. She cried out when a laser beam grazed her shoulder, and she slid under his knees before he could shoot again. She hastily opened a panel on his back and sliced through several wires before he managed to grab her and throw her against the wall again. This time, her vision went white and she couldn't see anything for a moment, but her vision slowly returned, but all she could see were blurry colors.

"Stockman, you bastard!" Raph's voice rang through the large room. Sam carefully lifted herself to her feet, but she fell after a pain shot up her left leg.

"Guys, I can't see!" She cried. A green blur slowly grew larger.

"Sam? It's Mike." A rough callused hand grabbed her arm, and started to lead her forward, but she nearly fell again. Mikey managed to catch her, and she started to see his outline better. "What happened?" She had never heard Mikey so serious.

"Doesn't matter, where's Leo?" she said hurriedly. Mikey was breathing hard, and he was nearly sprinting over the debris.

"Don and Splinter are getting him to the van. Splinter says he's still with us, but it sure as hell don't look like it." The surroundings suddenly got darker, and she could make out the Battle Shell. She shivered in the cold breeze. "I'll be right back." He said as he set her down on a hard, cold surface.

"Samantha, what has happened?" Splinter's fuzzy hands touched her shoulders, and she fought back the oncoming tears. She looked up towards his voice and started to see details.

"Stockman…He…He was hiding and he threw me against a wall. I can't see very well, but it seems to be coming back." Splinter moved away and she almost cried for him to come back and keep her warm. Green and purple smears appeared in front of her, and she squinted when a bright light flashed in her eyes. "Don, I'm fine. Where is Leo?" She said as she pushed him away and tried to stand up.

"He's right here. He's okay now; he's still unconscious, but at least he's breathing." Don helped her to her feet and inside the van. She reached out and fell into a seat. She immediately turned all of her attention to the grass green body in front of her. She reached out to touch him, but she pulled back and buried her face in her hands, the tears finally breaking free.

"Donatello, I believe we have everything under control here. Your brothers and Casey might need you." Sam heard him hesitate, and then leave. A soft, furry hand touched her shoulder and she spun and buried herself in the soft fur.

"Master Splinter, it's all my fault!"

"Why would you even think that?" He asked as he pushed her back and held her at arms length. Sam could see his eyes, but only as soft brown pools in a sea of grey.

"I shouldn't have….I couldn't…I didn't…" she sobbed. Splinter pulled her into his embrace again.

"Sam, there is nothing more you could have done. You risked your safety for that of Leonardo. If you had not, he would be gone." He said softly as he stroked her hair. She winced as he touched the place that her hair had been torn out. "Samantha, you are bleeding. April." He called to the front. A fiery red patch of color appeared and grabbed a white box underneath the small cot Leo was lying on. April set to work on Sam's head, and she did her best not to cry out. Splinter offered his hand, and she held it like a death grip as April stitched up her scalp.

"Master?" Mikey's voice came from no where.

"He's finished." Raph said almost sadly as he hopped in, followed by his two brothers. Casey hopped in the front and turned on the engine.

"Is he gonna be okay, Sensei?" Mikey asked shyly.

"I believe so, Michelangelo." Splinter said quietly. April finished wrapping a bandage around Sam's head, and Sam fell back into Splinter's warm chest, exhausted.

"Dude, Sam, are you okay?" Mikey said, his hand touching her leg. She winced, and soon regretted it. Donatello was soon checking for any breaks or sprains, but Sam barely felt them. She closed her eyes and felt herself begin to succumb to exhaustion.

"She needs rest. Raphael, take the bike home. We will be right behind you." Raph seemed hesitant to leave, but he did, and Sam soon felt the van lurch into motion. Her stomach ached, just like everywhere else on her body.

"She has a small break in her ankle, and her whole leg is bruised up pretty bad, but she should be okay." She heard Donatello say faintly, as if he were talking through water. She forced her eyes open one last time. Leo still lay in front of her, his body bruised and battered, but at least he was alive. Sam had never been so happy to see him, even though the painful rip in her chest flared just at the sight of him. A single tear fell down her cheek as she reached out and put her hand on his.

"Leo…" She whispered as she fell asleep in warm, protecting arms.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: No reviews for the last chapter? Oh well, I am quite proud of this story. This is the longest chapter I have ever written. Think of it as the grand finale! Hope you enjoy! BTW the tender moments between the brothers are NOT TURTLECEST! They are loving brother moments!**

**I do not own TMNT**

Donatello sat in the lab, mindlessly tinkering with the toaster that had been broken yet again. Normally, he would have been furious that it had spent more time in his lab than in the kitchen, but he found the tense silence except for the steady drip of the IV into Leo's arm calming in some way. Behind him lay his brother and Sam. The moment they had gotten home, Raph and Mikey had brought Leo's mattress into the lab and laid the still unconscious Sam on it. She looked even worse than Don had first anticipated, but Leo's situation was much more life threatening. Thinking of his brother, Don gently set the toaster down and turned his chair. His brother was lying on the cot that was used for medical purposes, but that hadn't stopped Don from tricking it out. From what he had seen on television shows, it was pretty close to what hospital bed were like. It was one of Donatello's most prized accomplishments as it provided his family more comfort when injured than they had had in the past. Chiding himself internally for focusing on the machine rather than the person lying on top of it, Donatello looked over his brother's broken body once again. Bruises and sores covered Leo's body, leaving him to believe that Leo had been beaten pretty well in order to be captured nearly a week ago. On top of those wounds lay entry points of the hundreds of wires and tubes that had been connected to his body, trapping him in the virtual prison Stockman had put him in. Don had grabbed a few of the wires as well as downloaded the program while they were at the warehouse, and in the nearly six hours they had been home, he still hadn't been able to figure out how Stockman had done it. He had given up nearly an hour ago and moved onto the toaster, but he had no motivation, and his coffee high was fading. It was nearly breakfast. Raph should be coming to relieve him soon.

"Hey,"

Thinking of the devil, Don humorlessly laughed to himself. "Hey," he croaked back.

Raph stepped inside the crowded lab and took the only other chair next to Leo. "How they doin'?" he whispered.

"No change." Don sighed. "Sam's still freezing. I can't get her warm for some reason. I'll go get her another blanket." Don stood to walk out of the lab, but Raph shot up and pushed him back down.

"I'll get it. You look like you're about ready to keel over." Raph hurried out of the room, and Don knelt down next to Sam. He checked her pulse, then her breathing. Next he checked her eyes, and just as he was checking the brace on her ankle, Raph walked in with a thick wool blanket.

"How's she lookin'?" Raph asked as he helped Don drape the blanket over her.

"The brace is holding up okay. Her leg is fine. I'm mostly worried about her head. We shouldn't have let her fall asleep. She has a bad concussion." The guilt and worry gripping Don's stomach was almost painful.

"She'll be fine, Don. So will Leo. They're both fighters." Raph said as he patted his brother's shoulders. Sensing that Don was still stressed over it, he pulled him into a hug and lovingly patted his head. "Don't worry Don." He whispered.

Don shivered in his brother's arms. Raph rarely showed physical endearment, so he must really know that something was wrong. "I know," he whispered after a moment. "I'm just scared, Raph."

"I know Don. I am too." 

Raph was staring at Leo absentmindedly three hours later when Mikey walked in with a pile of food.

"Hey dude," Mikey said quietly, acknowledging the solemn atmosphere. "Brought you some food." He said as he handed Raph the plate.

"Thanks bud." Raph said quietly. Raph was expecting him to leave, but Mikey sat down in the chair next to him and gingerly laid a hand on Leo's. "You okay, Mike?"

Mikey was silent for a moment. "Yeah, I'm just worried."

"We all are, bro." Raph said as he patted his brother's arm.

Minutes of silence passed between them, then Mikey spoke up. "Do you wonder why Sam came back? After what happened?"

Raph lightly laughed. "Yeah, I do. I was sure we would never see her again."

"Why do you think she did?"

"For Leo." Raph said immediately.

"Do you think she would have come back if this hadn't happened?"

"Maybe. She risked everything for Leo, just like last time."

"Did you miss her?" Mikey asked quietly.

"Shell yeah. Did you?"

"Yeah. It was weird to have a girl besides April around all the time. She's a lot different than April. I know Leo missed her, too. I think part of him died that night." Mikey said softly. "Remember how different he was after he met her?"

Raph was quiet for a moment, remembering. "Yeah, it was nice. He was around us a lot more. He wasn't high and mighty leader. He was more like a brother."

"I miss that Leo." Mikey said sadly. "What do you think'll happen when they wake up?"

"I dunno, but you won't have to wait very long." Raph said as he noticed Sam starting to shift. "Will you go get Don?" Raph said as he knelt next to Sam.

"R….Raph?" Sam asked groggily. Her eyes were unfocused and she looked disoriented.

"Hey, how many fingers am I holdin' up?" He said as he checked her forehead.

"Two and a thumb." She said quietly.

"Smart alec." He grumbled.

"Well I know it cant be three or four, dumbo." She snickered.

"Glad to see your personality is still intact." Raph said. "You wanna sit up?"

"Uh, not yet. I ache everywhere." She said, and Raph noted a single tear dripping down the side of her face.

"Where does it hurt Sam?" Raph asked quickly. "Donnie!" he yelled out the door.

"Ow, Raph! My head hurts, for starters." She sighed.

"Sorry. Don'll be here in a sec."

"Doctor Don is in the house!" Mikey announced rather loudly and Raph glared at him as Don knelt on the other side of Sam. "Oh, sorry Sami." Mikey said quietly as he stepped behind Raph and sat next to Leo.

"Hey Sam. How many fingers do you see?" Don said as he held a hand over her face. Raph started to talk, but Don shushed him.

"Two and a thumb. It's still a little blurry, but tons better."

Don laughed at her spunk. Shell, how he had missed her. He pointed to something and Raph grabbed a book behind him on the desk and handed it to Don. He opened the book and held it over Sam.

"Can you read the first line?" Don noted how her eyes narrowed and she took a moment to focus, but he was pleased when she was able to read it.

"Great." He said quietly as he got up and grabbed his bag. He started checking her eyes, breathing, pulse and brace again. "Your ankle is broken, and you have a bed concussion, but you should be okay. Are you hungry at all?"

"A little." She whispered, wincing.

"Kay, Raph will get you some food and I'll get you some painkillers." Raph was out the door before Don had finished his sentence and was back by the time Don had opened the bottle of pills.

"Uh, Donnie. Leo's waking up." Mikey said quietly in the corner.

Don quickly handed the pills to Raph and joined his other brother.

"Raph," Sam whispered, her eyes tearing up. "Can you help me to the living room? I can't be in here."

Raph nodded and quickly took the plate of food into the living room before returning and gingerly lifting Sam and gently walking to the living room. He laid her on the sofa and knelt beside her after handing her her food. Sam just stared at it.

"You okay?" Raph said after a moment.

She sniffed and sighed. "I shouldn't be here." She whispered. Raph waited patiently for her to continue, the memories they shared coming to the front of his mind. Talks like this had been frequent before, and he was surprised at how much he had missed her. "He hates me."

"Leo? You're crazy if you think that." Raph said gruffly.

"No, I'm not. Why did he do what he did if he didn't hate me?"

Raph was silent. He didn't know the answer, though he had a pretty good guess. "You'll have to ask him. But I know damn well that he don't hate you, Sam."

Sam was silent, and another tear trickled down her cheek. Raph reached up and caught it with his finger. "I've missed you, Sam. Things weren't the same after that night." He said sadly.

"I've missed you too, Raph. I've been a mess since then. Part of me was missing. It felt like I was living in a dream until Karai caught Leo."

Awkward silence rested between them, and Raph caught soft voices coming from the lab.

"Raph, when can I leave?" Sam asked hurriedly, her voice pained.

"I dunno, but not for a while. Why?" He was hurt that she wanted to leave so soon.

"I can't see him. I have to stay away. Clean breaks are easier to heal. Just being here is making it worse."

"Sam, he doesn't hate you." Raph said gruffly. "Get that through your thick skull, you stubborn, hard-headed, tempermental…" Raph said loudly, but he stopped when he heard her laughing. He got even more angry that she was laughing at him, but his breath caught when she fell onto him and wrapped her arms around him.

"God, Raphael…" She said, and he felt tears running down his plastron. "God, I have missed you." 

"Leo?" Raph said from the doorway. Leo looked over to his brother. The aching and pain gripping at ever inch of him seemed to melt away.

"Raph." He croaked, and his brother stepped forward. Mikey and Donnie quietly slipped out of the lab.

"Hey, bro, how are you feeling?" Raph asked quietly. Leo softly smiled, and Raph looked at him, puzzled.

"Sam is here, isn't she?" Raph shifted backwards in surprise, and Leo softly laughed. "You were always less temperamental and more calm when she was around." He said sadly.

"Everyone was different when she was around." Raph said quietly, and a few moment of awkward silence passed. "You didn't answer my question, Leo." Raph accused gruffly.

"I'm fine," Leo said quietly.

"You look like hell, Leo." Raph said lightly, and Leo breathed a laugh.

"Yeah, I know. You told me, remember?"

"You looked worse then," Raph said.

Leo cringed, remembering what had happened. "It _was _hell, Raph." Tears stung his eyes.

"I know, but it wasn't real, Leo. We didn't die. We're all right here, and we aren't going anywhere." Raph said sternly as he gently rubbed his brother's arm.

"You have no idea, Raph. I was going to kill myself. I couldn't live without you guys."

"That was the point, Leo. Karai was trying to torture you and get you to kill yourself at the same time. If you had killed yourself in there, you would have died out here too."

"Yeah, I know. Don told me. I don't understand how I made it out though. Stockman sent the termination code."

"You can thank Sam for that. Remember what she told you?" Raph was silent, but continued when Leo nodded. "Don told me that you were partway out when he sent the code. Only the virtual you got knocked off."

"Wow, Raph. That was a little brainiac of you. You feelin' okay?" Leo teasingly reached up to touch his brother's forehead, but Raph playfully pushed it away. They sat and smiled at each other for a moment before they both looked away, embarrassed.

"I've missed _this_ Raph." Leo said softly, and Raph looked up at him.

"Leo…" Raph started, but Leo shushed him with his hand.

"I want to see her." Leo said quietly, and Raph saw the pain and fear in his eyes, but also the hope.

"She doesn't want to see you." Raph said harshly. "She is scared you hate her."

"God, that woman." Leo swore. "I don't hate her! She should hate me! It's my fault, I'm the one who hurt her! Why does she have to be so selfless and stubborn. Raph?" Leo stopped his ranting when his brother started to chuckle. Raph turned the chair to face the door.

"You owe me ten bucks." He laughed. Leo turned his head to see who Raph was talking to.

There, in the doorway, stood Mikey and Don, and being held between them, was Sam. There was a large bandage covering her head, and a bulky cast on her foot, but Leo swallowed at the sight of her. The air around her seemed to glow, and he noticed the happy faces on all of his brothers. They were all laughing at him, but at that moment he didn't care. Sam reached into her pocket and pulled out a bill and handed it to Raph as he stood up and walked to her. She kissed him lightly on the cheek, and he helped her to the chair next to Leo. Leo just stared at her, and barely noticed his three brothers leaving the lab and shutting the door.

Leo stared at her. He drank her in. The dark brown hair that fell down her back, the light freckles that dusted her nose and cheeks, her muscled arms, her tattered clothes, her long neck, her rosy cheeks, her light pink lips, her long eye lashes, but most of all, her deep green eyes. The fear he had seen in them earlier was still present, but he grimaced when tears filled them and began to drip down her face. He was fighting back his own just at the sight of her.

"I could say the same about you, Leo." She whispered.

"What?" He asked quietly.

"I could ask why you have to be so stubborn and selfless." She said louder. The tears still fell steadily down her face. "Leo…"

"Shhhh." Leo cringed when she looked hurt and turned away. He fumbled around for the remote to the bed and pushed the button that bent the bed and helped him sit up. He reached out and touched her arm. "Sam." He said softly. She turned, and all he saw in her eyes was pain.

"Leo…It wasn't your fault….I never blamed you…Not once."

"Why didn't you Sam? It was my fault you got hurt. And now its my fault that you are in danger again."

"Leo don't you get it!" She screamed. She stood up and began shoving things off of Don's desk in anger. Once she was satisfied that the toaster was broken beyond repair and everything that had been on the desk was on the floor, she leaned against the wall and buried her face in her hands, sobbing as her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Leo's own anger began to build at the sight. "Sam." He croaked, but she either didn't hear him, or she ignored. "Sam!" he nearly yelled. "Are you gonna come here, or are you gonna make me come to you?"

She looked up at him before slowly walking back and falling into the chair. He grabbed the arm of the chair and pulled her as close to him as was possible. He leaned into her until their faces were nearly touching and glared at her for a moment before his anger melted. He tenderly touched her cheek and tucked a strand of hair beneath her ear before cupping her face in both of his hands.

"Samantha Loraine Janson, I owe you my life. You risked your own to save mine, despite the pain and hurt I have caused you. Will you please accept my sincere apology?" He said stiffly.

She sniffed and nodded, and started to scoot backwards, but Leo wrapped his arms behind her back and pulled her into his arms. He shivered in pleasure. Her warm vanilla scent filled his nose and blurred his senses as memories came flooding back, and he barely caught her words. The tears he had been fighting broke free, and he mumbled into her hair.

"I love you, too."


End file.
